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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28290516">Humbug</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeSafeOG/pseuds/BeSafeOG'>BeSafeOG</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>NCIS: Los Angeles After the Episode Ends (Christmas EPs) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS: Los Angeles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Not Platonic, Sadness too but only a little</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:01:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,171</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28290516</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeSafeOG/pseuds/BeSafeOG</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place after the end of the episode Humbug with a small amount of overlap. What could have or should have happened between Hetty and Granger.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Owen Granger/Hetty Lange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>NCIS: Los Angeles After the Episode Ends (Christmas EPs) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072262</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Humbug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>If you haven't watched this episode yet and don't want any spoilers please do not read this fic. It doesn't really spoil anything but the first 5 or so lines are directly from the end of the episode.</p><p>Aside from that, any and all feedback is appreciated, but please be kind.</p><p>I had a lot of fun writing this and plan on continuing the concept (described in the summary) with other Christmas episodes in the future. I can't promise I'll be able to fulfill requests but if there's a certain pairing you'd like me to write about from a certain episode I can definitely give it a shot. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Merry Christmas, Owen." Henrietta said with a smile, taking a drink from her glass.</p><p>Owen's hand dropped from the pocket of his jacket. He waited for her to finish before reaching out and snatching the glass from her. She almost seemed surprised as he took a drink of his own from it. Once he was done he handed it back to her, a smile on his face.</p><p>"Merry Christmas, Henrietta." he said.</p><p>She was already smiling but what was once a subtle smile, her trying not to laugh, became one of love instead.</p><p>As she looked him in the eye, spinning the glass in her hand absently, she couldn't help but think it was like they had kissed now. It wasn't a new concept, she was almost certain everyone had thought that every now and again when sharing a drink with someone they felt... anyway, the words were leaving her mouth before she could stop them.</p><p>"You know, it's sort of like," her eyes briefly looked to the floor behind him before returning to his own, "We've kissed now."</p><p>Granger's eyebrows rose in surprise, though slowly, more under control than she would have expected for him if he were to be completely shocked by her statement, "I don't think it is." he said.</p><p>Hetty's thoughts began to spiral before he finished. Usually she would hear the other person out, she knew how wrong a partial message could sound, and how much unnecessary anxiety and trouble it could provoke, but just as she was beginning to think maybe things would be okay from his initial reaction, he'd outwardly disagreed. Maybe she was wrong, maybe other people didn't think like that, or, maybe they did and he was an exception of some sort.</p><p>"You would have to drink from it again for us to have kissed." he kept the pink from his cheeks as he said it, but his palms began to sweat.</p><p>Despite him feeling like a teenager--his stomach always tingled when he was around her. This wasn't new nor was it his first experience liking someone--what he'd said seemed to pass the test, whatever that was. She was smiling again. As he was fighting his own internal war, glad he'd made her smile but still inwardly nervous, he'd looked down at his shoes for just a second. They had been looking each other in the eye, that wasn't unusual when talking to someone, but he was afraid that if he looked her in the eye at this exact moment, she might see how nervous he was, so, his eyes remained temporarily on his shoes, as if he were fascinated by them while he tried to regain his composure.</p><p>"Owen," she said to get his attention, though she'd never really lost it.</p><p>He looked up, and seconds after their eyes met she took a slow deliberate drink from her glass. His eyebrows shot up, and a smile tugged at his lips, though the general poker face he kept up at all times stayed in place aside from those two things.</p><p>A few seconds passed after she'd finished in which it was just silent, neither of them really knowing what to say or do, but not wanting to leave the other one's company, until,</p><p>"You're right." Hetty said abruptly.</p><p>Granger waited for her to continue.</p><p>"It's nothing like we've kissed." she explained.</p><p>"Oh? How's that?" he asked.</p><p>"Well," she was positive of what she wanted to say, but as with everything else she'd said, she was nervous. She looked into the depths of her scotch as she said it. She continued, but did so as if she were treading lightly, unsurely, like crossing a frozen lake, "If I recall correctly, you were much gentler."</p><p>Owen's poker face dropped entirely at that. Did he hear that right? He thought he'd recovered from the poison, but maybe he was still in the hospital and this was all some sort of fever dream. He supposed there was only one way to find out.</p><p>He was keenly aware of her eyes on him, taking in his every action and inaction. He reached out for her glass and finished the remainder of the scotch. All in one motion, he set the now empty glass down on her desk and took a step towards her. He lifted her chin with one hand, leaning down and closing what little of a gap between them remained. She made a noise of surprise, but not protest against his lips, and then, she was actually kissing him back. His breath didn't quite hitch in his throat, sensing it was coming he intercepted it, slowed down, took everything in. He tried to memorize this feeling, not sure if he'd get it again from her.</p><p>His chest swelled, with what he wasn't sure. Whether it was love or pride or maybe a mix of both, it came flooding in with so much force he thought it might knock him down. As if that wasn't enough his heart was pounding so hard he was sure Henrietta must have been able to hear it. All of these things combined, the overwhelm his senses were experiencing, it wasn't too much, but it was a lot in his current condition. He wasn't sure he could handle much more. He wasn't kissing just anyone, after all. This was Hetty. He actually cared about her.</p><p>Regretfully, he pulled back.</p><p>His eyes fell to the ground as he steadied his breathing. He wasn't huffing or anything, the kiss only lasted a few seconds, but he did need a little bit to recover. He let his eyes fall closed for just a moment, pressing his lips together, and opening them again soon after. He could still feel where her lips had been. Definitely not a fever dream.</p><p>Hetty herself gave a few nervous laughs as reality sunk back in. They stood in silence for a little longer before her hand came into his field of vision, under his chin. Her thumb rested below the center of his lower lip. He looked up from the floor, his eyes meeting her own again, and she smiled. She stood up on her tiptoes as her thumb moved up just a bit. Her eyes fell to what she was going to do. Sensing what it was, he reached up with one of his own hands to still hers.</p><p>Hetty blinked, a little confused, "You have some--" Owen ran his thumb over the back of her hand as she talked, before interrupting,</p><p>"It's okay."</p><p>"--Lipstick."</p><p>"It's okay." he repeated, and she let herself stand back on her heels.</p><p>As quickly as he'd moved in, he left. He let a few seconds pass before giving her hand a gentle squeeze, and then all at once he let it go, and took a step back.</p><p>"Goodnight, Henrietta." he said, her eyes following him closely, and without waiting for a response he turned and and walked out in the direction he'd come from.</p><p>"Goodnight, Owen." she replied softly, "Goodnight."</p>
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